Palmetto Middle School is inviting fathers and father figures to a free dinner Thursday evening to launch the Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer program for the school year.

The "Dinner for Dads" event starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Palmetto Bay school. Attendees will eat together, learn about the Watch D.O.G.S. program and sign up for volunteer shifts. Kids are welcome, according to the school's website.

Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is a national K-12 program that asks fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other father figures to spend at least one full school day volunteering. The program was founded in 1998 and has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Volunteers help with tasks including monitoring the school entrance, assisting with bus and car loading, supervising the lunchroom and working with small groups of students on homework and class projects, according to the program's FAQ page. The program has two stated goals: providing male role models who show students that education matters, and adding extra eyes and ears to improve school security and reduce bullying.

The dinner serves as the standard recruitment event the national organization uses to sign up volunteers at individual schools each year.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has promoted father involvement through district-wide events for more than a decade. The Fatherhood Task Force launched an annual Fathers in Education Day in 2014, and more than 100 M-DCPS schools participated in its 10th anniversary in April 2023. At the 12th anniversary event in September 2024, Shawn Thomas, who leads the Watch D.O.G.S. chapter at Pinecrest Elementary, was honored with a proclamation. Thomas said at that event that the program is about "dads communicating with dads, getting them in and building out schedules that really lend themselves to dad's insights."

At Pinecrest Elementary, Watch D.O.G.S. volunteers keep students safe at drop-off and dismissal, monitor halls during testing and school dances, read to younger students and help older ones with science projects.

M-DCPS has cited research showing that when fathers are involved in their children's schooling, test scores and grades increase. Children without engaged fathers are twice as likely to repeat a grade or drop out, according to district materials.

The school's event page does not list a specific room for Thursday's dinner. Families can contact Palmetto Middle School at (305) 238-3911 for details.